My experience with the Headrush Guitar Pedal, specifically the Gigboard model, started with initial excitement but quickly devolved into frustration. After purchasing it new and using it for about a year, several recurring issues made it ultimately unusable for my needs. While the large touchscreen and virtual pedalboard organization were initially appealing, the core functionality and sound quality left much to be desired, especially when compared to other amp modelers and multi-effects units on the market.
One of the most persistent problems was the unreliable USB recording feature. Randomly, the USB recording would disable itself, or inexplicably change its sample rate, regardless of the settings within my recording software. This seemed to stem from internal crashes and disconnections, which would reset the sample rate and disrupt recording sessions. This issue alone was a major hindrance for home recording and practice.
Beyond the USB issues, I encountered perplexing behavior with delays and modulation effects. I prefer a subtle delay in my guitar tone, but the Headrush pedal made achieving this incredibly difficult. A 20% mix level was noticeably too dry, while a mere increase to 22% resulted in an overly “wet” sound, akin to a 50% mix. The jump from almost no delay to excessive delay between 21% and 22% mix settings was drastic and made fine-tuning delay levels impossible. This same abrupt change issue plagued the modulation effects, making it difficult to dial in subtle modulation. These problems persisted even after software updates, suggesting fundamental flaws in the unit’s effects processing.
Furthermore, the distortion models, particularly the emulation of the iconic 5150 amplifier, were a significant letdown. Having played a real 5150 amp extensively, I found the Headrush model to be far from authentic. The tone was thin and lacked the punch and character of the real amp. In a blind comparison, it sounded closer to a budget solid-state amplifier than a high-gain tube amp. Conversely, I have found the 5150 models in units like the Atomic Amplifire and Line 6 Helix to be remarkably accurate and satisfying, highlighting the Headrush’s shortcomings in amp modeling fidelity. The Twin Reverb model also suffered in comparison to these alternatives.
Ultimately, the combination of glitches and unreliable effects rendered the Headrush Gigboard unusable for my needs. I eventually sold the unit, and to my knowledge, the subsequent owner also experienced dissatisfaction and moved on from it quickly. While the large touchscreen and intuitive virtual pedalboard organization were genuinely well-designed and convenient for quickly setting up patches, these positive aspects were overshadowed by the fundamental issues with sound quality and reliability. However, even the benefit of the touchscreen interface was limited by the need to physically bend down to make adjustments, as there was no accompanying desktop software editor.
In conclusion, based on my negative experience, I would strongly recommend considering alternatives before purchasing a Headrush guitar pedal. For those seeking a similar form factor and feature set, a used Atomic Amplifire 12, Line 6 Helix LT, or even a smaller Helix model would be a far superior choice. Even my older Eleven Rack, in my opinion, sounded virtually identical to the Headrush in terms of overall tone quality, despite being significantly older technology. While the Headrush may offer a more modern interface, the core sound and reliability simply do not measure up to the competition, making it a disappointing experience overall.
